When You're Gone
by clarinet-alto-4ever
Summary: Rated just to be safe. Hermione's lover has been away at war for months and she misses him terribly.


A/N: Memories = italics.

Disclaimer: I do not own JKR's _Harry Potter_.

Edited Note: In an effort to rid my stories of unauthorized song lyrics, I'm reposting this story. Imagine Avril Lavigne's _When You're Gone_ playing in the background.

Hermione woke up suddenly and looked at her clock. Its bright numbers yelled 3:34 am at her. She rolled over trying to go back to sleep, but the empty space beside her and the nightmare that had woken her up hit her hard. Then the tears started to come.

After trying to fall back asleep for another half hour (according to that bloody clock), she gave up and walked to the kitchen.

Hermione loved cooking and baking. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why she was so against house elves. Making food with her hands was soothing to her and a great way to relieve stress.

Or sadness.

Since she was wide awake and had no chance of going back to sleep, Hermione pulled down ingredients to make some cookies, sugar cookies of course. They were his favorite. She began mixing the dough for the cookies when the memories began flooding her mind.

"_Mmmm, Hermione, are those sugar cookies I smell?"_

_Hermione laughed. "Of course they are! They're almost as sweet as you are."_

_Hermione brought some freshly baked cookies and a glass of milk over to him while they laughed at her corny joke. She put the cookies down on the coffee table and sat down on his lap, giving him a kiss on the cheek._

_She leaned her head up against his shoulder and looked at the beautiful set of rings on her left hand. She couldn't believe that it had already been three months since their wedding. It hardly seemed that long since they didn't get to see each other much during the war._

_He finished a cookie, smiled at her, and kissed her. What soon turned into a snog session was quickly interrupted by a loud "pop."_

"_Bill!" he said. What's wrong?_

"_We need you right now," Hermione got up quickly and went for her wand when Bill called to her, "Not you right now, Hermione, just your husband. We'll come back for you when we need you." Bill waited patiently while he got ready to go. When he came back Bill looked him square in the eyes. "This could be a long trip. I don't know when you'll be getting back."_

_He turned to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her before kissing her deeply once more. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you."_

"_I love you, too," he let go and walked over to Bill. Before Hermione knew it, he was gone._

Hermione sighed. He'd been gone ever since that night. It had been almost three months. Some of the Weasleys would drop in every so often to let her know how he was doing and when she got the chance, Ginny would spend a few days with her.

Hermione couldn't stand not being able to help with the war at all. With her current condition and her closeness to Harry, she was a perfect target for the Death Eaters. Therefore, members of the Order deemed it necessary for her to go into hiding. Mr. Weasley had been made her secret keeper and her home was protected by all kinds of charms and spells.

Hermione finished putting the cookies on the tray and in the oven. She went to start cleaning up the mess she had made. While putting stuff away, her eyes caught a picture on the counter. The picture was of one of the best days of her life, her wedding day.

"_Oh, my darling daughter, you look so beautiful!" Jane Granger gushed over her daughter._

"_Oh, mom, every mother says that," Hermione giggled._

"_But you really do, Hermione!" exclaimed Ginny. "Oh, he won't know what to do when he sees you coming down that aisle!"_

_Hermione, her mother, and Ginny were in the bridal room waiting for the small ceremony to begin. With the war surrounding them, it wasn't possible to have a huge wedding, so it was just be a small ceremony with family and the closest friends._

_Jane Granger fussed with different aspects of her daughter's gown when there was a light knock on the door, "Can the old man come see his daughter before I give her away?"_

_Hermione hurried to the door and opened it to reveal her loving father, Joseph Granger. "Dad!" she threw her arms around him in a huge hug._

_Joe let go of his daughter and held her at arms length. "Oh, my dear," he put his hand on her cheek, "you're positively glowing."_

_Hermione blushed deeply. "Aw, Dad, you're just saying that."_

"_Of course not! I truly mean it. Now, you're sure about this, right? If you're not, I can go call the whole thing off and send that boy packing."_

"_For the millionth time, Dad, I love him deeply. He'll take very good care of me."_

"_All right you two, it's about to start!" Jane cried. She hurried out to take her seat, closely followed by Ginny, who was coming out right before Hermione and her father._

_Joe held out his arm to his daughter and she took it. "Well, Hermione, this is it. Are you ready?"_

_Hermione grabbed her bouquet of roses, carnations, and baby's breath. "I couldn't be more ready for anything in my entire life." They waited arm in arm while Ginny walked down the aisle to Trumpet Voluntary._

"_I guess you really do like him then, huh?" her father asked with a sparkle in his eyes._

_Wagner's wedding march began playing and Hermione and her father began making the journey down the aisle._

Hermione thought back to that day with nothing but a smile on her face. He was so handsome standing at the end of the aisle in his dress robes. The ceremony had been so beautiful, then everyone had let go of the worries of the war and danced the night away. It couldn't have been a more perfect wedding; it was everything Hermione had ever dreamed of as a little girl.

Hermione finished cleaning the kitchen and putting the freshly baked cookies away, went to the living room, and took a seat on the couch, exhausted. It was so long since she had gotten a good night's sleep. If it wasn't the nightmares that woke her up, it was being sick.

She still hadn't been able to tell him yet. She had only found out about a week after he had left with Bill.

"_Hermione?" a voice called out._

"_Ginny, I'm in the bathroom," Hermione called back._

"_Hermione! Are you alright? What's wrong? Do you have a stomach bug?" Ginny asked worriedly._

_Hermione looked up from her seated position on the bathroom floor. "Well, if it's a stomach bug, it's been a long one. Somehow, I really don't think it is, though."_

"_Oh my gosh, Hermione, are you . . ." Ginny didn't finish the question when she saw the look on Hermione's face. "You are, aren't you?" Ginny squealed with excitement._

"_Now, I don't know for sure! I'm waiting for the potion to finish brewing," Hermione said as she looked at her watch. "In fact, it should just about be done. Shall we go find out?"_

_Hermione and Ginny walked to the study where a pale yellowish potion was simmering. Hermione put out the fire with a charm and dipped a goblet into the liquid. She turned to Ginny and lifted it, "Here goes nothing." Hermione drank the potion, set the goblet down on the table, and waited_

_She lifted her shirt waiting to see if a golden glow would appear telling her she was expecting. She and Ginny waited with baited breath for what seemed like forever until a faint golden glow began to spread and grow stronger until it enveloped her entire stomach. She smiled, "Guess I am pregnant." Ginny jumped up and down and hugged her best friend._

A tear fell from her eyes as she wished she could tell him soon. Ginny had been sworn to secrecy because Hermione didn't want anyone to know before her beloved did. It was hard without him near. She wished they could do normal things for parents expecting a child like go shopping for little baby clothes and decorate a nursery. Ginny was anxious to get started with it all, but Hermione kept putting it off and putting if off in hopes that he would return home soon and accompany her. Hermione also knew that if she didn't tell Mrs. Weasley soon, she would go ballistic trying to finish her famous baby blanket and other hand knitted baby items she made in time.

Hermione drifted off to sleep, but before too long, the nightmares returned.

_The group approached the sixth Horcrux with caution. It was the last one besides the piece in Voldemort's body. If they could just destroy this one, then the path would be clear for Harry to challenge You-Know-Who._

_They circled around it and wondered if it could really be this easy. A member of the Order reached out to grab it, but the moment his fingers touched the goblet, an army of Inferi appeared out of nowhere._

_The members of the Order jumped into action. Anti-Inferi curses swept through the air like the wind on a blustery autumn day, but they weren't enough._

_Hermione saw him in her dream sending hexes and curses every which way to fend off the beings. The members of the Order were outnumbered. They slowly fell one by one until only her husband was left. The Inferi closed around him; but, there were just too many for him to handle. Hermione's dream self who watched on let out a terrified scream that nobody heard but herself as the Inferi raised his hand to attack her lover._

Hermione woke up for the second time that night out of breath and sweating.

She looked at the clock on the mantle. It was too late now to bother with a dreamless sleep potion. She tried to avoid them as much as she could since she didn't want to become addicted to them.

She decided to go for a brisk morning walk around the gardens; so, after changing into other clothes, she walked out the front door.

She loved the beautiful landscape around her home, especially now in the springtime when everything was blooming. She walked down towards the gazebo near the lake that adjoined their property. Some of the ducks came quacking up to her for bread and she chided herself for not remembering any.

Once at the gazebo she took a seat and looked out over the serene lake and watched the sun come up. It reminded her of a similar time there at the gazebo when the sun was going down.

"_Oh, it's so beautiful," Hermione breathed as he led her to this very spot. The tones of red, orange, and purple mixed with the blue of the lake creating a masterpiece that couldn't even be replicated by magic._

"_Hermione," he began softly, "I know the war is upon us and everything, but I have something I want to ask you."_

_Hermione smiled. He hadn't been too good with keeping this a secret. After the amazing dinner he had apparated them to the top of the Eiffel Tower for awhile before bringing them back here to the house he now owned. She knew, or at least was wildly hoping, she knew what was coming next._

_He took her small hands in his own larger ones and got down on one knee. "Hermione Jane Granger, would you do me the honor of allowing me to spend the rest of my life with you by my side?" He pulled out the most gorgeous diamond ring she had ever seen._

_Hermione squealed with delight as she said "yes" over and over again. With a boyish grin on his face he slipped the ring onto her left ring finger and went to kiss her._

_However, before he had the chance, there was a loud chorus of cheers to be heard from behind a grove of trees and bushes just beyond the gazebo. Hermione and her new fiancé turned around only to find over half the Order standing there with grins on their faces to know that the couple was newly engaged._

_Hermione looked at them wide eyed. "How did you ever know about this?" she asked disbelievingly._

_Mrs. Weasley chuckled, "Oh my dear, as if he could ever keep a secret like this from anybody! We all knew it was going to happen very soon and decided tonight must be the night." Everyone laughed as he blushed a deep scarlet._

Oh, if only he could be here now. She would be wrapped in his arms watching the sun rise on a new day. He would know about the baby. It would be peaceful and perfect. A few tears began to fall from her eyes again when she heard a deep voice behind her.

That voice! She turned around quickly. There he was. His handsome self was all in one piece. Hermione stood there in shock, not ready to believe it was really him.

"What? No welcome home kiss or even a hug?" he smiled at her.

"Oh, my goodness! You're home!" She ran over and engulfed him in a huge hug. "I've missed you so much," she said with tears of joy falling from her eyes.

He pulled her head up to his and gave her a long, deep kiss. When they broke apart, his eyes drifted towards her now slightly bulging stomach. When he met her eyes they were sparkling with anticipation of telling him. He swept her off her feet and twirled her around with joy.

End A/N: I have made it unknown as to whom Hermione's husband is on purpose. I had to mention certain names at times like Bill (but we're under the assumption that he's married to Fleur) and Harry (only because he's the one who will finally vanquish Voldemort), but use your imagination and place whatever male from the realm of Harry Potter you'd like in that position.


End file.
